For the past few months, I’ve been attempting a paleo-inspired approach to my food. It’s been the most successful and longest-lasting “diet” I’ve tried. That being said, I have quite a bit of trouble with breakfast. I think I ate eggs and bacon every day for about a week and then never wanted to see either again. I’m frequently out the door for work without a breakfast, or so unbearably sick of what I have at home (typically cottage cheese and fruit, or yogurt with granola) that I stop to grab something on my way to the office. I work across the street from Whole Foods, and I’ve discovered that not only is their coffee quite good (and the baristas are friendly and funny), but they also offer a nice selection of breakfast pastries. Many of them are not truly appropriate for breakfast (bear claws, chocolate croissants) but I have discovered my favorite: the Good Morning Muffin. Packed with carrots and fruit, walnuts and a bit of coconut, it’s indulgent enough but still providing you with some nutrients and substance. I decided to try making them at home to save money, reduce the portion size, and get me to the office a few minutes quicker.

Divide batter between cups, leaving space at the top (about 2/3 full). Sprinkle some extra shredded coconut on top of the muffins

Pop them in the oven for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick stuck in comes out clean.

]]>https://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/2013/05/05/good-morning-muffins/feed/2livelearnandeatgood morning muffinsanother challengehttps://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/2013/04/06/another-challenge/
https://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/2013/04/06/another-challenge/#commentsSun, 07 Apr 2013 02:20:49 +0000http://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/?p=115I had fully intended to do this yoga challenge again – 30 days of yoga, at least 5 minutes of yoga every day. I missed April 4th and 5th with little fanfare. Did I fail, so early on? Before I answer this, what was my true purpose in wanting to do this challenge? My desire to establish my home practice. Have I prevented myself from doing this? Have I lost all opportunities to build my yoga practice outside of class? In fact, I’ve set up a space for myself, a lovely little corner unobstructed by wires, drying racks, unfinished projects, a space to practice nothing but yoga. Don’t tell me this isn’t a step toward my goal! Today I ripped up my excuses and threw them away, and tomorrow is another day. Don’t lose sight of that big picture – get right back up again. Today I ripped up my excuses and threw them away, I told myself that I am capable of fulfilling my dreams, and I broke out of my comfort zone to make some contacts in a potential new career path. I learned to forgive myself for anything I did before that doesn’t push me toward my goals and let go of what does not serve me! It’s been a powerful April so far – what I would consider to be a success.

If you feel like being moved, may I recommend Jennifer Pastiloff – you can find her here. She is authentic and it’s inspiring.

]]>https://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/2013/04/06/another-challenge/feed/1livelearnandeatthe extraordinary science of addictive junk foodhttps://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/2013/03/30/the-extraordinary-science-of-addictive-junk-food/
https://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/2013/03/30/the-extraordinary-science-of-addictive-junk-food/#respondSat, 30 Mar 2013 23:05:22 +0000http://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/?p=113This is a long read, but an important one and I look forward to reading the book – obesity and chronic disease, especially as related to food, will be a topic of increasing importance in the coming years as both a business ethics and a public health issue.

Every once in a while I stumble across a unique recipe which also is an easy weeknight meal. These tacos were on our table throughout last week, filling in when energy levels were too low for cooking. Spaghetti squash, lime, some spices, black beans, red onion, cilantro, cotija. The tortillas in this photo are homemade, which was a treat. From the Smitten Kitchen cookbook.

This past week was full of ups and downs, of unwelcome and unannounced change, both very high highs and very low lows. I was on a path, one I wanted to take, taking slow but steady steps, and suddenly it wasn’t there anymore, and I’ve had to go back and start to figure out where I’m headed next. As I found myself feeling hurt and frustrated and lost, I brought myself back to the present moment, where infinite futures are possible, and let that negative energy leave me. Change is hard – and I don’t like to be blindsided – but life is what it is, and I’m sure the universe will point me in the right direction, wherever that may be.

]]>https://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/2013/03/25/the-path-not-taken/feed/0livelearnandeatRocksit’s not all badhttps://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/2013/03/24/93/
https://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/2013/03/24/93/#commentsSun, 24 Mar 2013 19:52:51 +0000http://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/?p=93Not too long ago I wrote this post about feeling sort of alone in my values, and how finding a blog post on the subject from my same point of view made me feel so much better. As it so happens, at one of my very lowest points on this emotional rollercoaster about the meaning or non-meaning of my life, I had a conversation with someone who shares my values more than I thought was possible from a real live person I could meet and speak with face-to-face. It brought me back up and reminded me that my choices and goals are totally OK! I am quite proud of myself for working only as much as I have to and not compromising my life for some crappy office job. As long as I don’t give up on myself and don’t give in to others, I can have the life I want… one day. For now, I’ll keep taking my baby steps toward that bright future.
]]>https://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/2013/03/24/93/feed/1livelearnandeatnew beginningshttps://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/new-beginnings/
https://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/new-beginnings/#respondMon, 14 Jan 2013 04:16:20 +0000http://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/?p=76

I recently read somewhere that every moment of every day gives us a chance to start over, and I found it resonating strongly with me. Lots of people feel this way about the new year, setting new goals and making resolutions. I also recently read somewhere that the majority of New Year’s resolutions are broken by the end of January, and that’s why my first point is so important. Having goals and intentions is important to drive you forward in life, but the feeling of failure makes it easy to give up. I have been making an effort to view my slip-ups as what they are – temporary, surpassable incidents that are in the past as soon as they’ve happened, and more importantly, an opportunity to start over.

And so, here I am. It’s been a while, but I’ve returned to this space to start over. Hope to find myself back here quite soon.

]]>https://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/2013/01/13/new-beginnings/feed/0livelearnandeatThe Hay Barnoff the mathttps://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/off-the-mat/
https://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/off-the-mat/#respondTue, 04 Sep 2012 01:50:22 +0000http://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/?p=74In the beginning of August, I challenged myself to practice yoga every day in August. Well… I didn’t do it. At least, I didn’t practice yoga asana. But thinking about practicing yoga daily reminded me of other aspects of yoga that you can practice anytime, anywhere, without your mat. Opportunities present themselves over the course of a routine day. There were times that I practiced pranayama – controlling my breath. When I was running and finding myself wanting to stop, I focused on my breath, and I made it through a full 5k race with not enough training – and a surprisingly good time. Ahimsa, or nonviolence, kindness and thoughtful consideration of others, surfaced when I was in a situation with a person I don’t really get along with who did something that made me want to scream – and instead I said “thank you.”

What started out looking like a failure seems to be more of a success, now that I’ve viewed it from a different angle.

]]>https://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/off-the-mat/feed/0livelearnandeatroasted eggplant & za’atar pizzahttps://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/roasted-eggplant-zaatar-pizza/
https://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/roasted-eggplant-zaatar-pizza/#respondTue, 28 Aug 2012 02:14:54 +0000http://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/?p=62Eggplant can be difficult, but with a beautiful, creative, and delicious recipe like this one (from sprouted kitchen), eggplant can become a truly elevated culinary experience.

Please, don’t steal my photos. thank you. xo (c) 2012 – M. M.

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https://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/2012/08/19/life-happens/#respondSun, 19 Aug 2012 04:07:45 +0000http://livelearnandeat.wordpress.com/?p=59I’ve skipped four days of yoga so far. As I promised myself, I’m not beating myself up over it. I have yet to try a yoga DVD or online video or written routine. I am realizing something unfortunate about myself:

I don’t want to do anything at home.

Not just yoga… Anything at all.

I’ll try to do better with the yoga challenge in the remaining days of August, but perhaps I should come up with a different kind of challenge to keep me up off the couch, especially on weeknights. Even a boring desk job wipes me out pretty hard, but life doesn’t stop for you – you have to keep up with it.